Welcome to the Max Planck Institute for European Legal History

Since its establishment in 1964, the Max Planck Institute for European Legal History (MPIeR), with its two departments, has devoted itself to investigating the history of law in Europe and beyond. Its research, its specialised library with more than 470,000 printed items and its numerous cooperations has made it one of the central research hubs for the worldwide scientific community concerned with investigating our past and present national and transnational legal orders. On 1 September 2020, a new third department was established with a focus on 'Legal Theory'.